Olive Herb

Botanical name: Santolina rosmarinifolia

Olive Herb is a cold hardy, perennial, woody, and the bright green leaves that have an intense olive aroma. It adds an interesting, alternative flavour to salads and is a tasty addition to Mediterranean meals, especially when you don’t have any fresh olives to hand.

At the end of February Olive Herb develops small yellow button flowers that last long, look pretty and are well suited as a table decoration.

The leaves are the best part of the plant to use for flavouring. The flowers have less licorice flavour so are not suitable for use.

Uses of Olive Herb

The soft green leaves are added as whole leaves or the needles can be chopped up.

This herb has an amazing pickled olive flavour. All who know this herb have already fallen in love with it.

It is great used in home-made pasta and Mediterranean herb-oil mixtures (pesto). It also fits well with lettuce for salads and marinades and adds flavour to tomatoes in spicy fish and meat dishes, sauces and cheeses. In short, it can used on all occasions which include olives being eaten.